BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. – Avoiding the snow storms in the Midwest, the Missouri Baptist softball team traveled south this weekend to kick off the 2019 season at the Blue Mountain College Tournament. The Spartans, which have spent very little time practicing outdoors, played a pair of close games against Blue Mountain and Talladega College on Friday, but were unable to assemble a win.
 
In Game One, Missouri Baptist was edged by tournament host – Blue Mountain College – by a score of 2-1. In the second game, Talladega hit two home runs and secured a 4-1 victory over the Spartans.
 
In the season opener, the Spartans actually out-hit the Toppers 6-3, but left five runners on base and came up short of scoring the equalizer in the top of the sixth and seventh innings.
 
Still scoreless in the bottom of the third, Blue Mountain made its move with small ball, reaching base on back-to-back bunts to lead off the inning. Following a 2-RBI single, the Spartans stopped the bleeding at 2-0 with Meagan Elder and Ally Gischer coming up big on a steal attempt, followed by a ground out to short.
 
Outside of the third frame, Missouri Baptist's starting pitcher Delissa Dennison pitched five no-hit innings with three strikeouts.
 
MBU took advantage of two Blue Mountain miscues in the top of the fifth and turned it into a 2-1 ballgame thanks to an Ally Gischer hit that eventually brought Cami Meddows home.
 
Looking to rally, the Spartans delivered one-out triples by Jordan Corby (6^th inning) and Amber Mobbs (7^th inning) but came up empty both times.
 
Corby and Gischer led the way in Game #1 with two hits apiece.
 
The Spartans found themselves in a similar situation versus Talladega in which the Tornadoes recorded two runs in the third. Likewise, Missouri Baptist scored its one run of the game in the fifth inning.
 
In her lone at-bat for the game, Tomi Dublo registered an RBI to drive in Ally Gischer.
 
A completely different group of Spartans got in on the hitting action in game two with newcomers Madalyn Bone and MaKenzie Harbaugh getting their first career hits as well as hits for Rachel Galbraith and Ally Gischer.
 
The Spartans will resume action tomorrow with Blue Mountain at 11 a.m. and Talladega at 1 p.m.